The national Department of Transport is well on track with the production of outstanding driving licence cards.

In a statement on Thursday, the department said the bottleneck experienced between November 2021 and January 2022 will be cleared off by April 2022.

The renewal backlog that was experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic grace period will be cleared off by September 2022.

The following regulation will apply in due course: motorists who apply to renew their driving licence cards before 31 March 2022 will have their driving licences valid for a further three months on condition that they are in possession of their old driving licence cards. They must also have proof of fees paid for the application to renew in the form of a receipt.

“The regulation is also applicable to those who have applied to renew their driving licence cards since 25 February 2022 and before the end of the grace period of 31 March 2022. Their driving licence cards will also be valid for a further period of three months.

“If you apply after the expiry date, please note that you will be required to apply for a temporary driving licence,” the department said.

Motorists are therefore encouraged to apply to renew their driving licence cards before the expiry date to avoid incurring any possible additional costs.

Meanwhile, with the recent dispute by the driving schools having been resolved, the department said it is happy to report that Driver Licensing and Testing Centres (DLTCs) are now in full operation to assist the public.

Source: South African Government News Agency